Dog owner lessons you learned the hard way/you wish someone had told you

- Never leave home without poop bags.
If your dog poops and you don't have bags, nobody will take pity on you. You might get called out for it, you might have to use something else to pick it up.. it's not fun

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They do not know jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing wasn't boring, it was peace."

Bodhi is the opposite of ignorance, the insight into reality which destroys mental afflictions and brings peace.

You CAN say no to people wishing to pet, let their dogs meet, or play tug with your dogs. This does not make you a bad person. If you say yes, people will do inappropriate things. Make sure you and your dog are prepared and all is well.

If you realize you have left home with poo bags, go back. Keep a spare roll in your car. The day you don't will be the day your dog decides to poop on public property directly in front of a manned police car.

If you have a collar break, you can still use the leash as a slip lead to get home (loop through the handle or the clasp).

Sometimes your trainers and veterinarians will be wrong. Educate yourself before, not after, this happens.

Sometimes tennis balls sink. Have a spare.

The hair is expected, but there is also just a huge increase in household dust. Sooo much dust.

You will know your dog beyond all expectation. You will be able to pick your dog's voice out of crowd, know by the twitch of an ear or eye what s/he is thinking or about to do, and your dog will be able to do the same for you. You are a team, a partner, with each of your dogs and with your dogs as a whole. Embrace it, respect it.

Some people forget dogs are dogs. Others think that thinking of your dog as a dog is insulting. They are, and it isn't.